Yoga for Weight Management: Benefits, Best Poses, and a Safe Weekly Plan

Introduction

India continues to face a rising burden of obesity, with the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019 to 21) reporting that 24% of women and 23% of men are overweight or obese¹. In this concerning scenario, yoga has emerged as a widely practised approach to improve physical and mental well-being. It has been observed that most individuals who practice yoga report meaningful benefits such as improved flexibility, reduced stress, better weight management, and enhanced quality of life^2,3. In this article, we explore yoga asanas for weight management and a safe, progressive weekly plan for beginners as well as regular practitioners.

Benefits of Yoga for Weight Management

If you are thinking, is yoga good for weight management? The answer is yes. Yoga supports weight management by combining physical movement with mindfulness. While dynamic flows and sustained poses help bring about physical changes, the mindfulness component helps individuals regulate their emotions and reduce stress levels. So, together, these physical and psychological effects make yoga an effective and sustainable approach to weight management⁴. 

Let’s see how yoga benefits with weight management^4,5: 

1. Physical Changes

The physical postures in yoga help burn calories, tone muscles and increase muscle mass required for weight management. Research shows that yoga interventions improve obesity related outcomes, including body mass index (BMI), body weight, body fat, and waist circumference, which are important measures of any weight loss technique.

2. Psychological Reset

Yoga not only affects your body but also your mind. By calming your mind, yoga can help promote a shift in your emotional state. It aids in lowering stress and anxiety and promoting sleep, which can help balance hormones like cortisol that are involved with weight gain.

3. Shift Toward Healthy Eating

Yoga can help bring about a change in your eating patterns. Yoga helps increase mindfulness and awareness about your behaviours. By promoting changes in mindset and overall mental well-being, it can help influence your food choices and eating behaviours in ways that support weight management efforts.

4. Overall Health Benefits

Long-term yoga boosts your overall health and helps improve conditions like diabetes and hypertension, thereby reducing the use of medications that may lead to weight gain. Moreover, yoga helps improve digestion and boosts metabolism, supporting weight management.

5. Influence of the Yoga Community/Yoga Culture

The yoga community and its culture play a role in supporting an individual’s weight reduction experience. This means that social influences, role modelling, and the broader environment of yoga practice also contribute positively to the weight management efforts.

Top 12 Yoga Poses for Weight Management (Includes Warm Up and Cool Down)

Yoga asanas support weight management by strengthening muscles, improving mindfulness, enhancing flexibility, and promoting better posture and breathing. To ensure safe and effective practice, we have curated the following list, which begins with 1 warm-up pose to prepare your body and ends with 1 cool-down pose, with 10 key weight management poses in between^6,7.

1. Warm up with Tadasana (Palm Tree Pose)

How to Do:

• Stand straight and raise your arms overhead.
• Stretch upward and lift heels gently.
• Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.

Benefits:

• Stretches the body, improves posture and builds strength.
• Good warm up pose for any weight management sequence.

2. Ardhakati Chakrasana (Side Bending Pose)

How to Do:

• Stand with your toes together and relax your shoulders.
• Raise one arm sideways up to the shoulder, then above the head.
• Bend to the opposite side and hold for 30 seconds.
• Repeat on the other side.

Benefits:

• Useful for people with obesity (especially around the waist).
• Increases hip flexibility and improves digestion.

3. Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

How to Do:

• Stand with legs apart and stretch your arms.
• Bend sideways and place your hand near your foot.
• Keep the other arm up.
• Hold 20 to 30 seconds on each side.

Benefits:

• Stretches calf, thigh, and waist muscles.
• Improves spinal and hip flexibility.
• Strengthens legs, knees, ankles, back, chest, and arms.

4. Padahastasana (Hand-to-Foot Pose)

How to Do:

• Stand straight with legs together and arms beside the thighs.
• Inhale and raise your arms upward until they touch your ears.
• Stretch the arms up fully, turning the palms forward.
• Exhale and bend forward without bending the knees.
• Hold the heels and bring the forehead toward the knees.
• Stay for 20 to 30 seconds.

Benefits:

• Improves the flexibility of the spine.
• Stretches calf muscles and thighs.
• Strengthens legs and abdominal muscles.

5. Utkatasana (Chair Pose)

How to Do:

• Stand and raise your arms.
• Bend knees and sit back like a chair (in a squatting position).
• Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.

Benefits:

• Burns calories.
• Strengthens the knees and thighs.

6. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)

How to Do:

• Sit with your legs extended.
• Inhale and raise your arms.
• Exhale in a fold forward.
• Hold toes and stay in this position for 20 to 30 seconds.

Benefits:

• Tones the abdominal muscles.
• Improves digestion and helps in relieving back stiffness.

7. Pavanamuktasana (Wind-Relieving Pose)

How to Do:

• Lie on your back and gently pull your knees to your chest.
• Hold the shins and bring your head toward your knees.
• Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.

Benefits:

• Aids digestion and reduces bloating.
• Helps strengthen the lower back.

8. Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)

How to Do:

• Lie on your back and bend your knees upwards.
• Inhale and lift your hips upward.
• Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.

Benefits:

• Strengthens thighs and hips.
• Stimulates abdominal organs and improves digestion.

9. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

How to Do:

• Lie on your stomach.
• Keep your palms beside your chest.
• Inhale and lift head, chest, and upper abdomen.
• Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.

Benefits:

• Strengthens the back, arms, and shoulders.
• Reduces abdominal fat and improves digestion.

10. Vakrasana (Twisted Pose)

How to Do:

• Sit with your legs extended together and keep your hands by your side.
• Bend the right leg and adjust the right foot beside the left knee.
• Exhale and twist the torso to the right.
• Wrap the left arm around the right knee and hold the right big toe (or place the left palm beside the right foot).
• Take the right arm back and place the right palm on the ground (keeping the spine straight).
• Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.
• Repeat on the other side.

Benefits:

• Increases spinal flexibility.
• Helps stimulate the upper belly and relieves constipation.

11. Salabhasana (Locust Pose)

How to Do:

• Begin by lying on your stomach and placing your hands under your head with relaxed elbows.
• Keep your chin on the floor and place your arms by your sides.
• Inhale and lift legs without bending knees.
• Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Exhale, lower legs and rest.

Benefits:

• Reduces fat on thighs and buttocks.
• Strengthens the lower back and hip region.
• Improves digestion.

12. Cool Down with Makarasana (Crocodile Pose)

How to Do:

• Lie on your stomach with feet wide apart & toes pointing outwards.
• Place your hands under your head and keep your elbows relaxed.
• Now breathe slowly for 20 to 30 seconds.

Benefits:

• Relaxes the lower back and body after all the asanas.
• Good cool down pose after any weight management sequence.

While some people may experience weight reduction through yoga alone, the best results occur when yoga is combined with a balanced lifestyle that includes healthy eating, adequate sleep, and regular physical activity.

Note: Any exercises including yoga should be practised after physician’s consent by individuals with certain health conditions, such as high blood pressure, severe arthritis, cardiac issues, or any medical concerns where forward bending, twisting, or intense stretching is not advised. Also, it is important to practice under guidance if you have existing health problems or are pregnant.

Weekly Yoga Plan for Weight Management

The following weekly plan outlines yoga asanas for weight management spread across the week. Keep these points in mind:

• Remember to warm up and cool down every day before beginning and after completing your practice.
• Repeat each exercise based on your comfort level. Ideally, beginners may perform each pose once, intermediate practitioners twice, and advanced practitioners up to three times.
• Always consult a qualified yoga instructor or professional if you experience any discomfort, have medical conditions, or feel unsure about performing any of the yoga poses for weight management.

1. Beginner Weekly Plan

• Day 1, 3, 5 (Gentle Floor Poses)
  • Ardhakati Chakrasana
  • Trikonasana
  • Varksasana
  • Pavanamuktasana
  • Setu Bandhasana
• Day 2, 4, 6 (Core Activation)
  • Padahastasana
  • Paschimottanasana
  • Vakrasana
  • Bhujangasana
  • Setu bandhasana

Duration per day: 15 to 20 minutes

2. Intermediate Weekly Plan

• Day 1, 3, 5 (Leg and Buttock Strengthening)
  • Trikonasana
  • Utkatasana
  • Padahastasana
  • Setu Bandhasana
  • Vakrasana
• Day 2, 4, 6 (Core and Back)
  • Ardhakati Chakrasana
  • Paschimottanasana
  • Pavanamuktasana
  • Salabhasana
  • Bhujangasana

Duration per day: 20 to 30 minutes

3. Advanced Weekly Plan

• Day 1, 3, 5 (Standing and Bends)
  • Trikonasana
  • Utkatasana
  • Padahastasana
  • Paschimottanasana
• Day 2, 4, 6 (Core, Back and Hip )
  • Bhujangasana
  • Salabhasana
  • Dhanurasana
  • Setu Bandhasana
  • Pavanamuktasana
  • Vakrasana

Duration per day: 30 to 40 minutes

Note: If you are thinking, which yoga is best for weight loss, there is no single answer or pose. All yoga styles and poses may support weight management when practised consistently and combined with a healthy lifestyle.

General Guidelines for Safe Yoga Practice

Follow these key guidelines to practice yoga safely and gain maximum benefit from each session⁸:

1. Before You Begin

• Keep your surroundings, body, and mind clean before practice.
• Choose a calm and quiet place where you can practice with a relaxed body and mind.
• Practice on an empty or light stomach. If you are feeling weak, you may take a little honey in lukewarm water.
• Ensure the bladder and bowels are emptied beforehand.
• Keep your surroundings, body, and mind clean before practice.
• Choose a calm and quiet place where you can practice with a relaxed body and mind.
• Practice on an empty or light stomach. If you are feeling weak, you may take a little honey in lukewarm water.
• Ensure the bladder and bowels are emptied beforehand.

2. During the Practice

• Begin with a prayer or invocation to create a peaceful mental state.
• Perform yoga slowly and mindfully, paying attention to your breath and body.
• Do not hold your breath unless the pose specifically requires it.
• Always breathe through the nostrils, unless instructed otherwise.
• Avoid holding the body too tightly or making sudden jerky movements.
• Practice within your own capacity and avoid strain.
• Remember that progress takes time, so be consistent and patient.
• End the session with meditation or deep silence.

3. After the Practice

• Wait 20 to 30 minutes before taking a bath.
• Consume food only 20 to 30 minutes after completing your yoga practice.

If you are a beginner, it’s best to practise yoga under a trained professional to understand the precise positions needed for yoga poses and reduce risk of any injury.

Conclusion

Yoga poses offer a holistic approach to weight management by improving strength, flexibility, posture, and overall physical and mental well-being. Its mindful nature helps reduce stress and emotional eating, while the physical postures support fat reduction and muscle toning. Individuals are more likely to stay committed and experience long-term benefits by practising consistently and choosing a yoga style that feels enjoyable and comfortable.

Yoga shows the potential to become a powerful and lasting tool for healthy weight management with patience, regular practice, and a balanced lifestyle.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

References

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2. Khanal H, Khanal U. Benefits, barriers and determinants of practicing yoga: A cross sectional study from Kathmandu, Nepal. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2021 Jan-Mar;12(1):102-106. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8039334/
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6. Directorate of AYUSH. Yoga for Family: General Guidelines and Practices for Health and Wellness [Internet]. Government of NCT of Delhi; [cited 2025 Dec 12]. Available from: https://ayush.delhi.gov.in/sites/default/files/ayush/important-news/yoga_for_family.pdf
7. Government of India. Common Yoga Protocol [Internet]. Ministry of External Affairs; [cited 2025 Dec 12]. Available from: https://www.mea.gov.in/images/pdf/common-yoga-protocol.pdf
8. Government of India. Common Yoga Protocol: Book-English [Internet]. Ministry of AYUSH; [cited 2025 Dec 12]. Available from: https://yoga.ayush.gov.in/api/uploads/assets/cyp/Common%20Yoga%20Protocol%20Book-English.pdf
9. Na Nongkhai MP, Yamprasert R, Punsawad C. Effects of Continuous Yoga on Body Composition in Obese Adolescents. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021 Aug 25;2021:6702767. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8410386/
10. Panjwani U, Dudani S, Wadhwa M. Sleep, Cognition, and Yoga. Int J Yoga. 2021 May-Aug;14(2):100-108. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8191228/
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